But as Caitlin rounded the corner, she saw that it was just not meant to be.
There, lying among the field of corpses, flat on his back, eyes wide open and staring at the sky, was her husband.
Caleb.
Dead.
Caitlin felt all the wind knocked out of her. She dropped to her knees, in shock.
At that moment, everything she had ever wanted, everything she had ever hope for in the world disappeared. She sank to her knees, in the dirt, far from him, already suffering, holding her head in her hands. She couldn’t bear to get any closer to him.
She leaned out and let out a terrible wail.
Finally, Caitlin forced herself to her feet. She walked closer and closer to his corpse, each step feeling like the weight of the world, feeling as if she were walking through quicksand.
Finally she reached his side and collapsed on top of him, holding him, hugging him. She sobbed and sobbed and sobbed, and her cries racked her body, as her wails reached up to the sky. The injustice of it all. It was so unfair. After all they had been through, all the centuries, all the times, all the places. After the deep love they had for each other. His proposal. Their wedding. Their child. After her going back in time, just for him. After everything, everything they’d been through. Now. Of all times. For this to happen. When they were so close. When she was just a hair’s breadth away from finding her Dad. From finding the shield. From having all this be over, forever.
Caleb dead. And she and Scarlet completely alone in the world.
Caitlin knelt there, rocking him, holding him dearly, wishing her life would be over.
“Daddy?” came a hesitant voice.
At the sound of that voice, Caitlin’s pain deepened.
Scarlet appeared, sobbing, and knelt down beside Caleb and hugged him, too. Hearing her cries was even more painful for Caitlin than anything else. She wished she could shield her from this.
“Daddy!” Scarlet screamed again and again, shaking him.
Caitlin wanted to comfort her. But she did not know how. She was too grief-stricken herself to know what to do.
“Do something mommy!” Scarlet screamed. “Do something! Bring him back. You have to! You HAVE to!”
But Caitlin merely shook her head. She did not know what to do. Caleb, her husband, was dead. Really dead. She sensed that his soul had left. That he was no longer on this earth. And there was no Aiden this time, hovering over her shoulder, telling her what to do. There was no one left.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” Caitlin said, feeling guilty, feeling like a failure, even as she said it, “there’s nothing I can do.”
Somehow, Caitlin felt as if it were all her fault. If only she had found her Dad sooner. If only she had found the shield. She felt as if she had let them all down.
“There is one thing you can do,” suddenly came a deep, dark voice from behind her.
Caitlin did not need to turn to know whose voice that was. It was a voice that she had known, that had plagued her, for centuries.
Kyle.
Caitlin slowly rose and turned and faced him, feeling her grief quickly morph into rage.
“You can go to hell,” Kyle continued, with a wide grin. “With your husband. And I can send you there.”
Caitlin saw Kyle standing there, Rynd beside him, and behind them, Rexius’ army. They were all facing her.
This time, Caitlin was ready. Her time for running was over. Now, she had nothing left to live for.
Now, she wanted vengeance.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Caitlin faced off against Kyle, Rynd, Rexius, and his legion of vampires. As she stood there, she could feel the rage slowly overcome her. She hadn’t felt rage like this in she didn’t know how long. It was a deep, primal rage, creeping up slowly from her toes, up through her legs, up her torso, spreading out to her fingertips. It overcame her like a storm. It was the rage of a creature with nothing left to live for. It was the most powerful thing she’d ever felt.
Caitlin wanted vengeance. She needed vengeance. For Caleb. For Aiden. For Blake. For herself. Every ounce of her body geared up to fight this army. She wanted to tear apart everything in sight. Her entire world turned red, and she knew that she needed to kill every last one of them.
Caitlin leaned back and roared, and it was a roar of a thousand dragons. The ground beneath her trembled, as her battle cry reached up to the very heavens.
As the ground shook, she saw fear on the faces of Kyle and Rynd. They must have sensed that they were up against a changed person, against a person unlike any they had ever faced. This was the new Caitlin. The Caitlin who had completed her training. The Caitlin who had had everything she cared for taken from her, and nothing left to lose.
Caitlin burst into action. With the speed of lightning, she leapt twenty feet in the air and kicked Kyle with both feet in the chest, so fast and so hard, he didn’t even have time to react. He went flying, like a cannonball, right into the army of vampires behind him, knocking down dozens of them.
Before her feet had even touched the ground, Caitlin was already in motion, wheeling around and elbowing Rynd hard, right across the face. She heard the crack of his jaw breaking as he spun and dropped to the floor. Caitlin wound up and kicked him. The kick was so powerful, it sent him flying through the air, into the legion of vampires, and knocked over dozens more, like a bowling ball striking pins.
Caitlin turned and leapt at Rexius. He was faster than the others, and as she brought her fist down for his face, he reached up and blocked it. But she immediately brought her other fist across, punching him, then leaned back and kicked him so hard in the gut, he went flying into the rows of vampires, knocking down dozens more.
Caitlin sensed an ominous presence behind her, and turned. There, staring back defiantly, was Samantha. She was shocked to see her, this girl who’d ruined her brother. And she was even more shocked to see Samantha holding Scarlet in a chokehold.
“Make one move, and I kill the girl,” Samantha threatened.
Caitlin looked down, and watched as Scarlet’s face transformed into one of rage. For the first time she saw the vampire instinct take over her daughter, watch her become a creature, like herself, a fearless warrior.
Before Samantha could react, Scarlet reached down, grabbed Samantha’s wrist and snapped it back. To Caitlin’s surprise, Scarlet exhibited the strength of a full-blown vampire. With just a quick move of her wrist, Scarlet twisted Samantha’s arm all the way behind her, bringing her to her knees and breaking her arm. Samantha screamed out in pain—but Scarlet didn’t hesitate. She picked her up and threw her, right into the crowd into the army of vampires, knocking over several of them herself.
A vampire leapt out of the crowd from behind Scarlet, aiming right for her—but before he could reach her, Ruth charged him, leapt into the air, and sank her teeth into his throat, pinning him to the ground, dead.
Dozens of vampires charged Caitlin. She instinctively positioned herself between Scarlet and the army, and as the vampires charged, she fought them all. She kicked and punched and elbowed and leapt and spun—and was a one-person wrecking machine. She took down dozens at a time, smashing them into each other, incapacitating each one with deadly, accurate strikes. They dropped all around her, like flies.
And still, they kept coming.
Caitlin grabbed a long staff off the ground—the one that had belonged to Aiden—and let out an unearthly shriek as she swung it. She swung in huge circles, and within moments knocked down dozens more. Soon the circle widened, as she knocked down row after row of vampires. Dozens dropped in a single blow, and she kept swinging, until hundreds were knocked out within minutes.
Caitlin managed to establish a wide perimeter around her of at least a hundred feet—and none of the vampires seemed to want to enter it. They were afraid. She could see them standing there, breathing hard, snarling, fangs extended—afraid to get any closer. Even Kyle, Rynd and Rexius stood at the perimeter, afraid to approach. She was a one-man a
rmy—and she was winning.
Suddenly, a lone vampire descended from the sky and swooped in, landing right before Caitlin. At first, Caitlin was surprised to see a single vampire brave enough to approach her in one-on-one combat.
And then, she saw who it was. And she was amazed.
It was her brother.
Sam.
He snarled at her as he landed, and this time, she snarled right back. She had no brotherly love left for him. Not after all he had done. They were adversaries now. Two children of the same father—pitted against each other.
Caitlin had no love left for him, and clearly, he had none left for her. She could still feel the welt on her face, from where he had struck her. Finally, she was ready to fight him.
Sam suddenly attacked. He leapt into the air to kick her in the chest. At the last second, Caitlin sidestepped it, and at the same time, managed to elbow Sam hard in the face.
Sam landed flat on his back—hard. He looked stunned. Clearly he hadn’t expected that.
He leapt to his feet, turned and charged again, going to tackle her.
But Caitlin was faster: she sidestepped again, grabbed him by his back and threw him, letting his momentum carry him. He went flying through the air and landed face-first in the dirt.
Sam jumped up and spun around, staring at her in surprise. He was humiliated, enraged.
In one quick move, he reached back, took a sword out of a scabbard mounted to his back, and threw it.
The sword hurled end over end through the air, right for Caitlin’s chest.
At the last second, she dodged it. It flew by harmlessly, but came so close, she could feel the wind of it grazing her face.
Sam stared at her with a look of shock. Clearly, he hadn’t expected her to be this good.
Now it was Caitlin’s turn.
She charged at him, wielding Aiden’s staff. He drew his long sword, and they met in the middle.
They went blow for blow, brother and sister, blocking each other, in perfect harmony with each other. It was almost as if they were one person; neither could gain an advantage. His sword clanged against the golden staff as they used the entire battlefield, pushing each other back and forwards. The army stood to the side, watching, and it was clear that this solo combat would determine the victor of the war.
But neither seemed able to get an advantage. They were both locked in a deadly tug-of-war, moving at lightning speed, with breathtaking dexterity and power. Any of their blows would have rendered any other vampire dead on the spot.
Sam came down with an especially hard blow of his sword, and Caitlin blocked it high, over her head. His sword locked with her staff, and the two of them stood there in a pivotal moment, grunting from the exertion, locked in a deadly grip, just inches away from each other.
In that moment, Caitlin’s entire world slowed down. She could feel the energy hanging in the balance, the good versus evil. She could feel that this would be a life-changing moment for either of them. His rage was overwhelming. But so was hers. They each carried a force beyond comprehension, and they each directed it at the other. Both of their lives hung in the balance.
Suddenly, Caitlin was thrown back. The scales had tipped, and not in her favor: Sam’s power was just too much for her. His strength was greater than hers. It always had been. Not even her rage, her supreme rage, could overcome that. She was the chosen one. But he was the stronger one. And that had always been their destiny.
Sam looked down, seeing her on the ground, and realized this himself.
Without hesitating, he charged, coming in for the kill.
Caitlin regained her feet, and as he slashed, she parried, blow for blow. But now, he had the advantage: his blows were stronger than hers. With each slash, he came closer and closer. She was getting weaker, and he was getting stronger.
As Sam spun around with another blow, this time, he was a fraction of a second faster and he slashed her bicep, drawing blood. Caitlin screamed out in pain.
She slashed back, but he blocked it. He was too fast for her. Too strong. Caitlin realized he was going to win.
Sam charged again, and with a blow of supreme power, he managed to knock the staff right out of her hands. Caitlin was shocked to see Aiden’s staff go flying through the air and land with a clang, several feet from her. And then, before she could react, in the same move he kicked her, knocking her to the ground.
Caitlin sat there on the ground, stunned, defenseless.
Sam raised his sword, grimacing, and aimed for her skull, for his final, deadly blow.
In that moment, Caitlin saw her life flash before her eyes, and felt certain that this was the moment she was going to die.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
“Sam!” screamed a voice.
Sam suddenly stopped, hypnotized by the voice, his sword frozen in mid-air.
“SAM!” screamed the voice again.
Sam turned and looked, and Caitlin looked and saw who it was.
Scarlet stood there, hands on her hips, red-faced, screaming at Sam.
“Don’t you hurt her! That’s my mommy! What kind of brother are you?”
Scarlet stepped forward, fearless, and positioned herself between Sam and Caitlin.
Sam stared back, perplexed. He still held the sword, as if frozen in a moment.
“It’s your job to protect her. Don’t you remember? Don’t you remember any of us? IT’S YOUR JOB!”
Sam blinked several times.
“You promised to protect her. And me. What kind of brother are you?” Scarlet screamed, chastising him.
There was something about the tone of Scarlet’s voice—something so honest and real—that it seemed to break through some invisible barrier, to reach Sam. Somehow, it seemed to reach to the core, to break him out of a trance. It seemed to reach all the way to Sam himself, to the man who was once her brother. Who was once her uncle.
Slowly, Sam’s face began to collapse. Slowly, his scowl disappeared. Slowly, his muscles went limp, and he lowered the sword to his side.
Slowly, Caitlin began to see, once again, the face she once knew. The face of her brother. Her brother who loved her. Who had vowed to protect her.
“Caitlin?” Sam asked, sounding confused, as he looked down at her.
It was his voice—his real voice, back again. That voice she once knew.
Caitlin scrambled to her feet, holding Scarlet tight, looking back at Sam warily.
“Caitlin?” he asked again.
“It’s me,” Caitlin said.
Sam’s face then slowly transformed into one of shame, of grief, of self-hatred. He looked down at the sword in his hand with disgust, and confusion. He threw it down, then reached up and grabbed at his forehead, as if trying to tear the spirits out of his head.
“What have I done?” Sam pleaded. “WHAT HAVE I DONE!?”
“Kill her!” ordered a dark voice.
Caitlin looked over and saw Rexius standing there, his army behind him.
“Did you hear what I said?” Rexius said. “I gave you a command. I ordered you to kill her!”
As Caitlin watched, she saw Sam’s face transform once again. Once again, it filled with rage.
But this time, it was not directed at her. It was a rage, she could see, directed at Rexius. At all his men. At everything they had done to him.
Sam’s face glowered, as he reached for his sword. He pulled it out of the grass.
“Go,” Sam said quietly to Caitlin. “For both of us. Take your daughter. I will protect you. I vow. If I have to fight to the last man, if I have to die here, I will protect you. And please,” he added, “forgive me.”
Caitlin felt her heart breaking. Sam was back, and she wanted to go to him, to hug him. She wanted him to come with her, wanted him to get out of here. Or, she wanted to fight by his side. Or, at the very least, she wanted to say goodbye. And to tell him that she forgave him.
But his face glowered, and she could see that he was set, that he would not leave this place, tha
t he was determined to battle with Rexius. And there was no time left. She had to protect Scarlet. She had to find her Dad. It was now or never.
“GO!” Sam ordered.
And with that, Sam turned, let out a fierce battle cry, and charged Rexius and his men. He charged with all he had, just as Rexius’ men charged him. Sam raised his sword and swung it wildly, and Caitlin could already see the bodies begin to fall.
There was no time left to lose. Caitlin put Scarlet on her back, grabbed Ruth, and leapt into the air, flying high over the battlefield, while Sam distracted Aiden’s army below. She had to get far, far from this place.
And she knew exactly where she needed to go.
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
As Caitlin flew away from the Mount of Olives, Scarlet on her back, holding Ruth, her heart was breaking in a million pieces. She was so overwhelmed, she hardly knew what to think. Down below, she was leaving Caleb, her husband, dead. Blake, dead. Aiden, dead. And her brother, Sam, left alone to fight that army. He had finally come back to her, had become the brother she once knew. Her heart had soared to see him come back to himself. And abandoning him now, like this—after she had vowed to never abandon anyone again—was the most painful of all.
But at the same time, his remaining down there, fighting that army, was enabling her to flee. To search for her father. Who, Aiden had said all along, was their last hope for salvation. Still, despite everything, she wished that Sam, the last familiar face in the world, could join her, could come with her to find their Dad together.
Caitlin recalled Aiden’s words, centuries ago: she was the chosen one. Finding her Dad was her destiny, and her destiny alone. Sam had a different destiny. He was stronger, but he was not the special one. His destiny was to protect her.